One Piece Gunslinger

Startled, Haku quickly waved his hands and said, "No, Chief of Staff, I can't accept that. I'm just your martial arts instructor at best. If you're willing to learn, I'll definitely teach you everything I know."

Don't be fooled by Haku's usual joking around with them. He immediately becomes serious when it comes to matters of status and position. Joking around is fine, but one cannot mess with status and position. Otherwise, how can a dignified chief of staff and second-in-command recognize a high-ranking henchman as his master?

Kelra had been listening silently for a long time. Then, when he heard Haku say that he was going to teach Leon Fishman Karate, he suddenly spoke up and said to Haku, "I want to learn Fishman Karate too."

Haku hesitated for a moment and said, "Well, you're a girl, so it's better for you to learn from the chief of staff. This fighting and killing isn't suitable for you."

However, Li Ang, who was standing to the side, had a different feeling after hearing Kela's words.

Just as Haku said, cultivation is by no means a simple process (except for Li Ang who is overpowered). The hardships of cultivation are simply unbearable for a girl.

However, when Li Ang watched One Piece on Earth, he discovered that Koala held the title of "Substitute Master of Fish-Man Karate." This makes one imagine how she has lived to this day, without knowing when, what kind of feelings, or what kind of efforts she has made. The hardships she has endured are indescribable and heartbreaking.

Thinking of this, Li Ang also stepped forward to plead with Haku on Kela's behalf: "Hey, Haku, I think Kela can definitely hold on. She's not just any little girl; she's my apprentice!"

"Alright, since you put it that way, then from today onwards, I will properly teach you fishman karate."

"Yay!" Kella jumped up, as happy as a child.

No, Kella should be a child. Her small shoulders bear too much weight; she doesn't seem like a child at all.

Li Ang sighed inwardly, "Kera, if you're not strong, who will be strong for you?"

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Triumphant Return

From that time on, two figures appeared behind the fishman Haku, one large and one small, becoming a strange sight on the flagship.

Li Ang had only trained with Haku for two days when the fleet returned to its headquarters in Baltimore. During those two days, through practicing fish-man karate, Li Ang had managed to control his strength to a reasonable degree, making daily life manageable. However, once a real fight broke out, he still made a complete fool of himself, managing to wrestle flat on his face without anyone else even lifting a finger.

After all, only two days had passed, and Haku praised him, saying that he was exceptionally talented and made rapid progress, learning Fishman Karate as if he were a Fishman himself.

That requires exceptional talent. Everything is provided by the system; right now, he's just practicing controlling his strength. Once he has a solid physical foundation and can control his strength well, learning the individual moves of Fishman Karate will be much easier.

It's like asking an elementary school student to take university courses—that would be incredibly difficult. But if you wait until they graduate high school before they take university courses, that's perfectly logical.

Leon hadn't told anyone about his sudden increase in power except for Kera and Haku. After all, it sounded too miraculous, and if someone with ulterior motives found out and decided to investigate, Leon would be in serious trouble.

To avoid future troubles, Li Ang decided that the secret should remain between the three of them.

As soon as Li Ang stepped off the boat, he saw Long standing on the shore. Li Ang was quite surprised that Long would come to greet him personally.

In fact, Long dealt with the situation in the other country, Sand Point, very quickly. After exchanging intelligence, they immediately launched an F2A attack.

First, they chose a dark and windy night, and with the help of a strong wind, they quickly brought their ships close to the Sand Point Kingdom and occupied the coast before the Sand Point Kingdom could react.

At this time, a large number of soldiers were still asleep and did not put up any effective resistance. They were all slaughtered by the revolutionary army and lost their armor and weapons.

Overnight, Long led his troops to occupy the Kingdom of Sand Peak, and then spent a day dealing with various matters there before returning.

Compared to Li Ang's group, this was incredibly fast. So, Long had actually returned to headquarters a few days earlier.

After hearing about Li Ang's deeds through the Den Den Mushi, Ryu was overjoyed to find that he hadn't misjudged Li Ang; Li Ang was indeed capable.

So they eagerly awaited Li Ang's return to host a grand banquet. They wanted to have a good talk with Li Ang about their revolutionary camaraderie and firmly retain this talented individual.

"Haha, I didn't expect our chief of staff to bring such a brilliant victory on his first mission, taking Shiguo without losing a single soldier." Long saw Li Ang come down and quickly walked forward to grab Li Ang's shoulder.

"Alright, stop praising me. If you could take down Shajian Kingdom without losing a single soldier by attacking directly, and it only takes one person," Li Ang said, grimacing. If he hadn't strengthened his body, he probably would have been killed by the dragon's grab.

"Haha, but I can't make a move yet. At most, I can just make a strong wind, thunder, or rain when the two armies are fighting, to gain some advantage in terms of weather." Long laughed. "Speaking of which, you seem to have become much stronger. You seem much more powerful than before you left. Now, a dozen soldiers might not be a match for you."

"Eh~!? Is it that powerful?" the other revolutionary soldiers around exclaimed in surprise.

Li Ang was truly on the verge of tears. What happened to the promise of secrecy? What happened to the promise that this secret would only circulate among the three of them? In the blink of an eye, a whole bunch of people knew about his improved strength.

Mom, this man named Long is so scary, I want to go home.

Just as Li Ang and Long were chatting, a little boy with short blond hair popped out from the crowd, brandishing a steel pipe and shouting, "You despicable Li Ang, how dare you deceive the wise and mighty Lord Sabo! I challenge you to a duel!"

Hey, I don't know where Sabo found out that Leon's question last time was a trap. After realizing he'd been tricked, Sabo rushed out the moment Leon returned to get revenge.

"Wow, when did Sabo become so smart?" Seeing Sabo's furious outburst, Li Ang knew the deception had been exposed. He thought to himself, "This shouldn't be happening. Could someone have given Sabo the answer behind his back?"

Just as Li Ang was thinking this, Long suddenly released his arm from Li Ang's shoulder and walked away slowly, pretending nothing had happened.

"Hey! You're way too obvious. So you're the culprit." Li Ang thought to himself, "And what the hell, why didn't you stop your stupid apprentice?"

Looking at Sabo, who was clamoring for a duel, Leon couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. This little devil was indeed troublesome. If Leon were to get used to his power, he would definitely be able to beat Sabo into submission, but right now he would only make a fool of himself.

Just then, Li Ang's eyes lit up as he saw his clever apprentice, Kerla, also disembarking from the boat.

Leon quickly winked and frantically gestured to Kella. The clever Kella, seeing Leon's embarrassment and Sabo gesturing wildly to the side, immediately understood.

Kerla shouted, "Sabo!" and then quickly ran to Sabo.

Sabo was somewhat intimidated by Koala, his previous imposing manner vanishing instantly. "W-what's wrong?"

Without saying a word, Carla went up to Sabo and started pulling his face: "Do you know how rude you are? You should apologize to the Chief of Staff."

"Oh my god, what's wrong with Yao Yao?! (Why should I apologize?)" Sabo's face was being pulled by Kerr, and he couldn't even speak clearly.

"Huh? You dare to talk back? Anyway, you have to apologize." After hearing this, Klar pulled Sabo's face even harder.

Sabo had no choice but to give in, and was forced to apologize to Leon before running away.

"Hmph, kid, you're still too green. How could I not prepare a countermeasure?" Watching Sabo run further and further away, Leon was already feeling incredibly pleased.

The dragon was speechless at the sight. There's always someone who can subdue another. Only Kella has the ability to punish this little devil.

"Alright, you just told me you were going to have a banquet?" Li Ang asked.

“Yes, we’re planning to celebrate. It’s not good to always be so tense and engage in high-intensity missions and training,” Long nodded in confirmation.

"Wow, you're in luck then! Where's the kitchen? Take me there quickly, and I'll show you my skills." Li Ang's eyes lit up. He was almost sick of eating dry rations and bread at sea all this time and was really craving something good to eat.

Long also remembered that when he first met Li Ang, Li Ang had demonstrated his culinary skills. He was definitely worthy of the position of head chef.

"Then I'll trouble you. I'll inform the kitchen and have them help you." He hadn't thought about it until now, but now Long was starting to miss the taste of what he remembered from Maple Village.

"Hehe, friendly reminder: don't swallow your tongue!"

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Unexpected Person (Part Two)

The next day, Baltimore.

"Oh my god, is it always this hard to clean up after a banquet?" Li Ang looked at the scene in front of him and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

Li Ang was exhausted last night. He went straight into the kitchen and didn't come out, cooking huge pots of food at a time. The pots were several times bigger than Li Ang himself; if he hadn't been physically enhanced, he might not have been able to handle them.

By the time Li Ang finally put down the cooking utensils, it was already quite late. It turned out that this group, who claimed to be throwing a victory celebration for Li Ang, ended up with most of them completely drunk and sprawled on the floor when the real hero finally appeared.

In the end, Li Ang could not escape the wrath of alcohol and was forced to drink a glass by everyone.

The next morning, as soon as Li Ang got out of bed, he saw the mess. "Well, it's not my responsibility anyway. These people have experience hosting banquets, so they should know how to clean up."

"It seems my physical condition has improved, and the hangover symptoms aren't as severe."

Li Ang was rubbing his head when he suddenly noticed a small boat approaching in the distance. "What's that? Does our revolutionary army even have such a small boat?"

Dragon also got up from the ground and explained, "That should be Rez Max. That's just how he is, he's used to being alone, and he often goes off to explore the world by himself in a small boat."

"Huh? He's the legendary gambler who's never lost a bet—Raz Max?" Leon feigned surprise.

Dragon did not answer the question, but simply watched as Max approached in his small boat.

Soon the small boat arrived at the shore, and an unusually short man jumped off.

After disembarking, Max looked at the chaotic scene and angrily shouted, "Damn it, they were having a banquet inside and didn't even wait for me to come along. This is too much!" As he spoke, he started to "run" towards Long and Li Ang.

"Can you run any faster?" Watching Max fidget with those two short legs, Li Ang couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Those legs are so short it's unbearable to look at."

However, Marcus was surprisingly perceptive and asked Leon, "Are you thinking about something rude? Hey, who's this guy? I've never seen him before. Is he new here?"

"Ah, that's right, he's new, the new chief of staff." Long answered the question casually.

“Oh, so you’re the new chief of staff…” Marcus looked shocked. “The new chief of staff!?”

"Ahem." At this moment, Li Liang also spoke up: "Let me introduce myself. My name is Li Ang. I am honored to be elected as the chief of staff by you all. I have only been here for a short time and do not know much about many things. I hope to receive more guidance from my seniors."

"Alright. I didn't expect you to come back either. I thought you were still gambling outside." Ryu also said, "Even if something happened, you could have contacted me via Den Den Mushi."

"Sigh, there aren't many good people running casinos these days," Max sighed. "I was just playing around at one casino, winning a few tens of thousands of Berries, and they started chasing me. I ran, and they chased me all the way, across several islands without giving up. I had no choice but to come back. I'll hide here for a while and lay low."

Hearing this, Li Ang asked curiously, "That doesn't make sense. You only won a few tens of thousands; there's no need to make such a big fuss. By the way, weren't you recognized when you went into the casino?"

"I wish I had been recognized," Max said, looking annoyed. "It's because these people didn't recognize me that they kept me out of the VIP area. I'm so angry. It's the biggest casino in the surrounding waters, and it's run by a gang leader who controls several nearby islands, yet they didn't recognize me, Max."

Okay, now Li Ang has some clues. He's definitely resentful. The legendary gambler was kept out of the door, so he's bound to cause a lot of trouble in the hall later.

"Alright." Li Ang turned to leave, intending to find Haku to continue practicing his boxing. "I think I understand now. Dragon, you can handle things here. I'm going to cultivate for a while. Hey? Where's Dragon? How come he's gone in the blink of an eye?"

"Hey, young man, don't be in such a hurry to leave." Marcus called out as he watched Li Ang turn away. "Let me tell you what happened next."

Li Ang yawned and said listlessly, "If you have something to say, hurry up and say it. I'm busy right now."

“Emma, ​​young people just have no patience.” Max had barely said this when he saw Li Ang about to leave, so he quickly changed his mind and said, “Alright, alright, I’ll tell you Max’s legendary story this time.”

Over the next few minutes, Li Ang finally understood why the dragon had disappeared in the blink of an eye. Staying and listening to this guy's long-winded ramblings was simply torture.

What could be explained in two or three sentences is instead elaborated upon with numerous embellishments and then divided into several sentences. For example:

“Let me tell you, when I saw that dealer start spinning the roulette wheel, I knew he was a hidden master. His technique was exceptionally skillful; he didn’t even use any tricks, just the force he used to keep the numbers in the position he wanted. But who am I, Max? I’m an undefeated legendary gambler. What kind of masters haven’t I seen? Even if someone is cheating, I can see through it with my discerning eyes.”

"Get to the point, okay?"

"Oh, at that critical moment, I calculated at a glance where the roulette wheel would eventually stop. He actually wanted the roulette wheel to stop on the number 28, which had already appeared in the previous round, to deceive everyone by taking advantage of people's knowledge that consecutive numbers rarely appear. But I, Max, saw through it immediately and placed my bet on 28 without hesitation. As expected, when the roulette wheel stopped, it stopped exactly on 28."

"Okay, so what?"

"The moment the dust settled, the entire arena erupted in thunderous cheers. They had witnessed the birth of a miracle, the power of a legend. The cheers were so loud they seemed to lift the roof off; they were so passionate, so explosive. You know, it's already quite a coincidence that two identical numbers appeared on the roulette wheel, but it's even more coincidental that someone guessed those two consecutive identical numbers. Although it seemed unbelievable to them, everything was exactly as I, Max, had calculated, without the slightest error."

"So, after all that, it's just that you won again at roulette?"

"Yes, after this, I've decided to try something different. A legendary gambler isn't just good at one game. I want to show everyone my skills in other areas. No matter what it is, as long as it's gambling, I, Max, won't lose! So next, I've set my sights on dice..."

Then Max recounted to Li Ang everything he had done in the casino, detailing every game, every dealer's and gambler's actions and expressions, every gambling technique employed, and every mental struggle.

Wow, Li Ang thought it was interesting at first, but after listening to it for a while, he felt a bit sleepy. Actually, each game was pretty much the same, only the results were a little different. Throughout the whole game, it was Max's heroic and invincible winning streak.

After Marcus finally finished recounting his 26-game winning streak in the casino, Li Ang almost fell asleep. If Marcus hadn't kept him occupied, Li Ang probably would have slipped away long ago.

Li Ang finally understood why the dragon had vanished just as Marcus was about to tell his story. Now, even if it wanted to run away, it couldn't. It was clinging to him and wouldn't let go, following him wherever he went.

Finally, after Marcus finished recounting his heroic feat of a 26-game winning streak, Li Ang quickly said, "Alright, now I've heard your story. I have things to do. I see you've been chased all the way and you must be tired. Go and rest for a bit."